Howie Carr Showed Some Leg to Comment on the Whitey Bulger Verdict

The local columnist appeared on the news in shorts and sandals. It was weird.

When Fox 25 News featured local columnist and radio host Howie Carr with hisÂ analysis of the Whitey Bulger verdict, Carr, who has covered Bulger for decades, appeared well put together for the interview in a nice suit and tie…

But … wait, zoom out a bit there …

Gah! My eyes! Why, you might ask, is Howie Carr showing off his legs (and his Birkenstocks) on television? Probably the strangest thing about this interview with Maria Stephanos is just how utterly unexplained Carr’s appearance goes. There’s no, “Sorry Maria, it’s August, and I was out on the boat when the jury wrapped up.” The two addressed the situation only briefly at the very beginning of the interview:

Maria Stephanos: You knew that we would probably have a verdict today and you still couldn’t dress the part for television, Howie.

Howie Carr: What about the tie and the button down shirt?

Stephanos: No. It’s a nice try.

Carr: The glass is half full.

Stephanos: The glass is half full but the outfit is half empty! Let’s talk about what happened today…

They then carry on as the viewer is left to contemplate Carr’s legs. And on Twitter, there was much contemplation being had:

Howie Carr in shorts on TV? Not a site for sore eyes. A site to make eyes sore.

Honestly, we’d be surprised if TV personalities didn’t pull this kind of thing all the time, especially when called up to deliver breaking news. Carr probably showed up to the studio thinking he’d be seated behind a desk or shot at a tighter angle. It just seems strange that Fox 25 producers didn’t allow for either of those options. But hey, at least one person came out of this segment looking relatively good: